Episode 184
“Your Majesty, the decision is yours. What will it be?”
Dolores asked, a smug grin on her face.
Artius, of course, couldn’t answer. As the Emperor of Ravanta, how could he accept such a preposterous offer?
Ravanta wasn’t a religious nation. And Tristan, or rather, Dolores, had already caused enough damage.
And now she wanted to become Ravanta’s patron god?
‘Did she really think Ravanta was that easy to manipulate…?!’
There had to be a reason why Elonia, his daughter, had made such a humiliating offer, bowing her head before this god.
He looked at Elonia, who avoided his gaze.
She had initially done it to buy time. But then she had started wavering.
‘I want to save Lucius.’
Would Madicte really help them? Even the Calamity God neglected his apostles. Would Madicte really heed a High Priest’s prayer and come to punish Dolores?
Elonia didn’t want to cling to false hope anymore.
She had almost lost Lucius because of it.
Elonia lifted her head, her eyes filled with tears, and pleaded with Artius,
“Dad… please save Lucius.”
“…What?”
“He almost died because of me, several times. I can’t let him die again.”
Elonia’s tear-streaked face, her desperate plea, made Artius’s heart ache. He would have normally indulged her, but,
“Elonia, do you remember Professor Natalie?”
“…!”
The long-forgotten name struck her like a physical blow. And it wasn’t just the name.
Artius’s eyes, usually so warm and gentle, were cold and sharp.
His voice, flat and emotionless, was filled with a quiet rage as he rebuked her.
“You remember who was responsible for her death, don’t you?”
Elonia’s hands trembled.
Of course, she remembered. Natalie had died because of—
“M-me…”
“No, it was Dolores, the one standing before you.”
“Hmm?”
Dolores, amused, shrugged, watching their exchange.
Artius, ignoring her, continued his rebuke, his voice still filled with anger.
“Is Lucius’s life the only one that matters? I’m also indebted to him. But it was his choice. What about Natalie? She didn’t choose to die.”
“D-Dad…”
“And the people of the Luneus Duchy. They didn’t expect to die like that. They were ordinary people, not warriors prepared for death. Elonia, you have a duty to protect them, to avenge their deaths. Are you going to abandon them?”
Elonia’s vision blurred. Had Artius ever scolded her like this before?
No, never. He had always showered her with love and affection, indulging her every whim.
She remembered the first time she had worried him at the academy.
“You spoil her too much.”
“Of course not. I’ll discipline her when necessary. But only when she’s on the wrong path.”
“So you’ll scold me if I misbehave?”
“…After a thorough discussion. But I don’t think you will.”
He had trusted her implicitly back then.
And now, he was scolding her. Which meant…
‘What did I just say…?’
She finally understood her own actions.
Sacrificing others for love was a common occurrence. But Elonia couldn’t do that.
“Elonia, every time you returned from the academy, I asked you what kind of Empress you wanted to be.”
Artius, despite being trapped in the cage, spoke with the authority of an emperor instructing his heir.
“What did you answer?”
“…”
She couldn’t answer. She hadn’t been able to give him a proper answer, not even during her last summer break.
Artius had known that. That was why he had asked her that question.
“Elonia, I’ll ask you again. What kind of Empress should you be?”
“I…”
Just as Elonia, her gaze fixed on the floor, her eyes darting around in confusion, was about to answer, Dolores, shaking her head, interjected.
“A parenting lesson now? Don’t ignore me.”
“Stay out of this.”
“Such arrogance, just like the tyrant of the past.”
Dolores scoffed, but Artius didn’t waver. He wanted to guide Elonia, even if it meant risking his life.
“Elonia, think carefully. What kind of Empress should you be when you inherit this nation?”
“I…”
Artius wasn’t the only one who had asked her that question. As the sole heir to the throne, her mentors had constantly asked her what kind of Empress she wanted to be, or what kind of Empress she thought she would become.
She had never been able to give them a satisfactory answer, but Sarah, her first teacher, and the other professors, everyone who had raised her with love, had believed in her, had told her she would be a good Empress.
‘And yet, I…’
She had tried to sell out her nation.
The realization filled her with shame.
She couldn’t even lift her head, but Artius, his voice unwavering, continued,
“Elonia, do you remember how you felt when the people suffered, when they died unjustly?”
She remembered.
She had wanted to create a world without war.
Even if it was impossible, she had wanted to change the world, little by little.
Having suffered through war herself, she wanted to use her own hands to create a better future.
She wanted to save more lives than she had taken.
“I was… crazy.”
Elonia, her hands trembling, finally admitted the truth she had been trying to deny.
“You’re right, Dad. Lucius was always prepared to die, but the people weren’t. I have to protect them.”
She lifted her head, meeting Artius’s gaze, her eyes still filled with tears, but her voice firm and resolute. Artius, seeing her newfound determination, sighed inwardly in relief.
Dolores’s expression turned grim.
“I thought our interests aligned, Princess Elonia.”
She looked down at Elonia with disappointment. Elonia roughly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, her gaze hardening.
“Perhaps, if I were still the same foolish girl.”
“…You haven’t killed as many people as I have.”
Elonia chuckled dryly and stood up.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You have to include your life as Dolores Heilan. Don’t try to cheat.”
Dolores had been in the same position as Chelon. She had also committed atrocities.
Dolores’s face twitched, her muscles contracting with suppressed rage.
“And you’re still killing people. Who’s the real monster here?”
Elonia’s words were like a punch to Dolores’s gut. Dolores’s patience finally snapped.
“Do you think you can defeat me without Lucius?”
“If I can’t, I’ll make it happen. I owe it to the people.”
Elonia’s eyes flashed dangerously. Just then,
“…!”
The sky, which had been dark and cloudy, suddenly brightened, the light so intense it was almost blinding.
‘What’s happening?’
Elonia squinted, looking at Dolores and Artius. They both seemed surprised, so it wasn’t their doing.
‘Could it be Madicte?’
The clerics at the Temple might have succeeded. Hope flared in Elonia’s eyes.
“…Why is it going towards him?!”
But the light wasn’t heading towards Dolores. It was heading towards Lucius.
Elonia tried to reach him, but the light, swirling around Lucius, blocked her path.
“Ugh!”
The light intensified, her skin burning, and then, just as she thought she would be consumed, it gently flowed into Lucius’s body and vanished.
And then a miracle happened.
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped Lucius’s lips. He slowly opened his eyes, his red irises gleaming.
“Lucius, are you awake?!”
“Your Highness…?”
Lucius’s gaze slowly shifted towards Elonia. He remembered what had happened, then, sensing a change in his body, he jumped up, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“Impossible.”
He remembered his weakened state. And now, he felt completely healed, his body lighter than it had ever been.
Dolores gritted her teeth, realizing what had happened.
“…So an apostle is still an apostle?”
That light, capable of healing an apostle instantly, must have been the Calamity God’s power.
She looked at Elonia, who was overjoyed by Lucius’s recovery, and said, her voice low and menacing,
“You’re lucky. You thought you could defeat me alone, and now the apostle has awakened.”
“Luck is also a skill.”
Elonia retorted, mimicking Llewellyn’s usual smug expression.
“…You were just trying to sell out your nation, your magic is useless, and you even lost your sword. And yet you boast?”
Dolores reached out, and Elonia’s rapier, which had fallen to the floor earlier, flew into her hand. Elonia scoffed.
“I was desperate, so I have no excuse for the first one. But do you think that’s my only weapon?”
“Can you even open your subspace?”
Dolores retorted. Elonia grinned and reached for her leg, as if about to retrieve a hidden weapon.
But her smug grin faltered. There was nothing there.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
“W-well…”
Elonia stammered, her face filled with dismay, and Dolores, overhearing her, couldn’t help but laugh.
“What? So confident just moments ago, and now you’ve lost something?”
Damn it! Elonia desperately searched her memory. She hadn’t been carrying Alexia’s dagger recently, but she distinctly remembered taking it with her when she left the Imperial Princess’s Palace.
It couldn’t have just disappeared!
‘Did I drop it while climbing the spire?’
No, she hadn’t heard anything fall.
And the dagger was her only weapon now. And she had lost it!
Just then,
“Elonia!”
An unfamiliar voice called out her name, and a silver object, slicing through the air, flew towards her from beyond Artius’s cage.
“…!”
Elonia instinctively caught the dagger and stared at it, her eyes wide with disbelief.
A worn but clean dagger, a purple gem embedded in its hilt.
It was the dagger she had been looking for, but—
“Mom?”
The same mint-green hair, the same vibrant green eyes.
But her expression… it was the Alexia she remembered.
It was her mother.
Lucius also stared in disbelief.
“Lady Philemon…”
“Philia, I told you to wait!”
Even Artius recognized Philemon. They seemed to have met earlier.
Elonia was confused. Only apostles were supposed to be able to see Philemon. So why could everyone see her?
Philemon, as if she had no time for such questions, shouted,
“Elonia, the holy relic is alive! I poured all my power into it! Stab Tristan with it!”